Right Where I Belong
by StormyTempest
Summary: All I want now is to feel human again, to pick up my humanity I had discarded. Maybe they are right that I don't belong here, but I also know that we didn't really ever belong there. I do not know if I can ever escape my demonic heritage but I do know that whatever happens, wherever they are is just right where I belong and I will fight for my right to be beside them.


**I.**

* * *

Pain. For a long time, that was all I could feel. From my knitting wounds, my aching muscles, my repairing bones, all I could feel was pain. For weeks of travel, no food or water, fending for myself against the attacks of demons and beasts. I had just finished my last skirmish with a patrol of empire soldiers when, an hour later, some renegade demons had thought my flesh was very tasty and suitable as their dinner.

Pain. For a long time, that was all I could remember. From the fact that I am the last surviving human in this world, or at least, part human. From the fact that I had failed my peers', my family, my friends of the promise that I would bring back the peace in the world. From the fact that all I had ever trained for was now left in ruins.

Pain. For a long time, that was all I could think of. I am now all that remains of the thousand years of human struggle against the forces of our oppressors, not because I had been able to fend off their attacks off me, but because I cannot be killed. I was supposedly the descendant and heir of the Empire of Limbo, a fact that I had often brushed off until I saw my parents get killed in front of my eyes; that was the first time I had ever used the powers I was said to possess.

I was trained in the arts of sealing, our people's way of defending ourselves against the threats of the empire, since I was five, then demon magic at seven. Though our kind, half-demons, were not often thought of in a positive way in our small community, I had thrived on, proved myself to be one who wishes for the betterment of us all and I had failed.

Most of the remaining humans and half demons were slaughtered during a surprise attack when I was fifteen. I and my teachers, the great Magus - Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru - had been able to escape the attack and had been travelling around the world, to try and find humans or other half demons. For three years, were doing excursions on various ruins of villages and castles that were once the dwellings of humans.

Just weeks ago, however, the disaster happened. We were caught in an ambush and they had sacrificed themselves so that I could live on, so that I wouldn't be captured by the demons who were very adamant on either killing me or taking my power for themselves that would inevitably kill me. Now that I'm all alone in the world, death didn't seem to be a very horrible thing. While I had the companionship of some beastly friends I had befriended, human relation is what I craved for, to be with those who are like me.

Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, that was once my name. Now, I am no one, just some dirty traveler being hunted down by the empire, and failure extraordinaire who believed himself to be the hope humanity was waiting for.

* * *

**II.**

* * *

I woke up with a groan, thinking of the dream I had last night. A very strange dream that had me stirring old memories I had long ago tried to forget. Off to the side, I felt something small cling to my tattered shirt. I tried to pry it off but the hold seemed to be persistent so when I opened my eyes to see whatever threat was gripping my shirt, I saw a child.

I blinked a couple of times to confirm that there was indeed a blonde human child beside me, an infant, really. I thought that at first, it was an illusion cast by one of the demon mages so I tried and dispelled it. A couple of tries more and I gave up, instead opting to scoop up the small body wrapped in a soft cloth to my chest.

The infant stirred and immediately began to wail, while I panicked, thinking of what to do. I'd never had any experiences with infants, or children in general, except when I was one. I tried a few soothing words, "There, there…" That didn't get the wailing to cease, it only made the cries louder. It may have been because his voice was hoarse, or something, but he didn't really have a choice.

I looked around the forest to look for any other beings and frowned to see two running figures, towards me, it seemed. Not willing to let the child die while I lived, I took the child with me up in the twisted figures of the trees. I got an even bigger surprise when I saw the two figures floating towards me. When they neared me, the red haired figure shot his/her hands towards me and yanked it back, seemingly to pull something towards her. Imagine my surprise when I actually felt like my gut was being pulled towards her. She just used the 'Universal Pull' against me without the incantation! Then again, it can actually be used without it, the control and power would just be lesser.

Just then, I remembered. I thought I'm the only one capable of such a thing! The demons were only able to control things with metal in them, and I'm not wearing any. I closed my eyes, resigned myself to my and the infant's fates. When I came to a stop, I heard a female voice I haven't heard in a very long time her voice laced with anger and contempt, and my eyes shot open.

"Mom?" I asked, then looked to her side to see the blonde figure floating beside her, "Dad?!"

They raised their eyebrows at that while I remained on air gaping at them.

"First of all, we don't know you." The blonde man who looked exactly like my father said, "We only just saw you unconscious sprawled on the forest floor. Second of all, how dare you run off with my son, just like that. If only you did look like those mad demons, I wouldn't have thought more of you and just left you to die."

I didn't know what to say. It hurt me a lot to hear the voice and see the face of my father contorting with anger. The last time I saw them was when I was ten, and here they were glaring at me. I didn't remember it happen, but when I touched down at the branch of a tree, the bundle in my arms was already gone. With my head hung low, I just dropped to the forest floor, I could still feel my aching muscles and I still have to rest.

They didn't follow me, I could feel their anger rolling off of them. I ran away from the clearing, tears springing from my eyes, as I resolved to think nothing more of it as a very complicated illusion cast by those damned mages. I didn't stop until I was deep in the forest, the twisted trees were mere inches from each other and they bent out of my way before twisting back again as if I didn't come that way.

* * *

**III.**

* * *

It was months later that I came across another living being. The deserts of the Hueco Terreno was once home to my long-time friend Gaara. The influence of the empire was barely noticeable in these parts of the world since not much minerals nor crops could be gathered from these endless dunes. I didn't know how it happened but the pristine white fortress the humans and half-demons dwelled in these parts was assaulted mere days after our own was destroyed. Everyone was slaughtered, not a single life force could be detected within a mile radius.

I saw an oasis in the distance and I was tired in my long journey, I need a bath and water to drink. I sprinted towards the body of water, excited for the prospect of refreshments. I was mere yards away from it when I detected the subtle signs of life by the edge of the water, opposite me. Opposite the banks of the shallow pond, I saw two figures, one was kneeling near the water and other was off with what looked like a wheelbarrow. I didn't know whether to approach them or not as I knew that the Imperial influence this far south of the continent was unheard of, but I knew not to trust strangers as even if demons weren't part of the empire, they still generally hate humans or those partly human.

Instead of trying to upset the unknown figures, I chose to cleanse the water using the magic I was taught with, a combination of earth and water magic. I used both of my hands to cup the water and lifted it up to my lips. Last month, I had just restarted my training in the use of mana and was already within the sixth of seven steps towards completion. The sages of the three great beasts had told me it would help me in controlling my overwhelming powers. My life energy was already bursting out of the seams and only through harnessing nature energy or mana would I be able to calm it, only through synchronizing my magic with mana would my powers truly come into its fullest potential.

As I had walked the six paths that my eyes have shown me, it is now time that I came for the seventh and final path, the path from where I came. The last path, the outer path or the path of reality, was said to grant the user control over life and death. The sages had told me to let go of the past and strive for the future, saying that it is only there that I would find solace, but I didn't think so, not when everyone I ever knew, everyone I ever loved is now dead. It is only in the past that I would find solace, only in the memories of my comrades would I find the forgiveness I was seeking. The future now only holds misery and loneliness, none of atonement or peace I want.

I want to be with my friends and family again, I wanted to feel like I belong in this world I walk in, not hunted or shunned. I would not be able to do that, however, if I don't find the seventh path, and it's the hardest path to find and walk. If I do find the outer path, I would no longer be alive, for will be walking the thin line that is the border of life and death, but it is one I'm willing to sacrifice. The sages had told me, however, that by becoming a sage, I would be able to do so without the cost of becoming the living dead. By becoming a sage, I would be able to commune with the spirits, not only of nature, but also of those who had long since died.

Sage training had been harrowing, the trials to advance forward had been beyond taxing for my mind, body and soul. I had reasoned with the sages that the samsara is the way chosen for me by destiny, that it is the way I should be taking or the cause our race had would have been for nothing. The sages had agreed but had warned me not to take such power lightly, the costs would have been too great without the further control the Sage Arts granted. The sages had said that it happened before, to my ancestor, the last rightful ruler of the empire. His wife had died and he had chosen to use the easy way out, to walk through the outer path without first completing the trials of the Sages. He had gone insane and chose to leave the world, his daughter fled the land while the reigns for power had been taken by the seven Demon Lords. That was the cause of strife between the races that had lasted more than a thousand years.

That is why I put off finding the outer, no matter how much it tempted me to. I sat down cross-legged before the water to feel the mana around me. Unlike the mana in the Mountain of the Toads, the mana around in the lands of Limbo has always been chaotic. It was nothing like the calm and flowing mana of the Caves of the Serpents nor the thick and hallowed feel of the Forest of the Slugs. It was always changing, wispy, and flitting. But the mana of the environment wasn't what I was focused on, no, I was focusing on the magic of the ones before me.

There were three distinct signatures I was feeling opposite me, one was refined and had been condensed around the person, it looks male. The other two were raw and constantly churning underneath their bodies, one female and the other was a child. I was shocked, however, when I focused his attention on the child. From the feel of it, the child seemed to be in a constant state of gathering and releasing mana in its small body, never melding and not once storing.

I opened my eyes to focus more on their appearance as I used my magic to enhance my sight. There, on the other side of the oasis were the figures of mother and father. Both were wearing desert garbs, having a light conversation with each other, whilst on the wheelbarrow was a small blonde toddler dressed in a white shirt and brown shorts and whose feet were swinging freely under him. I closed my eyes shut again, this time trying to dispel whatever illusion was cast on me. I tried, but I could still sense the magic of those three before me, and there was no energy I could detect that was anywhere near the kind used for illusions nor transformation.

I opened my eyes again and this time, used the special eyes I was born with, trying to discern whether or not my eyes really were not deceiving me. Nope, nothing. I could not at all see any subtle signs of illusions even with the eyes said to have been able to see through any illusion, just like the demons' all-seeing white eyes and mirror wheel eyes. I didn't know what to do, so I sat there, staring at the water with my eyes back to the normal cerulean. It seemed to be mere seconds or years that I just sat there, mulling over my thoughts and choices.

Then I heard a voice that brought me back to reality, a small voice, "Hello," it said. I looked around and saw the small blonde child looking at me with his bright sapphire orbs and a timid smile plastered on his face.

"Hi." I replied.

He looked down at his bare feet, then shifted nervously, "Um, my name is Naruto, what's yours?"

I blinked and looked away, stared back at the water, then back at the child after a few seconds, "This is awkward… I didn't know that name could be famous, I have the same name." Now that I really looked at the child, I saw the same shade of yellow my blonde hair had. It couldn't be that this child is my brother and those two people taking long strides towards us are my mother and father who had forgotten their memories.

"Naruto!" I heard the woman who looked exactly like mom called, "Naruto, don't do that ever again!" She said when she was near the two of us.

"It's okay, mom!" The child said, "I just found out mister has the same name as me!"

"Naruto?" said the blonde man looking back and forth between the two of us, then focused his attention on me, appearing apprehensive, "Who are you?"

Not really thinking more of the situation other than confusing or that the figures before me are possibly hostile, I said truthfully, "Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, hailing from the Land of Fire."

Both the woman and the man stilled while the child looked shocked, he was then picked up by his mother who asked me gently, "And your parents?"

"They're dead, almost eight years ago. They died during a raid on our village." I said, looking back towards the water. "Their names are Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze."

Both adults sucked in a breath at that, a big mistake since we were in a desert and the dusty wind entered their noses. We were all silent for a while before the child started crying on the shoulders of his mother. At that, the woman started rubbing small circles on the back of the child whilst exchanging looks with the blonde man.

"I'm sorry for your loss," The man started at which I gave a curt nod, "We really don't know what to say. We were not originally from this world, you see."

I turned and raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing. I knew that all beast summons come from outside this world, they said it themselves. They were only able to come across their dimensions because of the seals that our race had invented, but the seals that we used also required contracts with the beasts we were going to summon, with me being the only exception, it seemed. The sages said that whoever had walked the path of the beast would be able to summon any beast from their dimensions without having to make a blood contract like everyone else did. That people could come from other worlds was strange but not overly shocking.

"I don't know how it happened or why but an hour after our son's birth, we were sent here and we've been here for only a week before we first met you. Sorry about that time." He said sheepishly, "While the world we came from had other people who had traveled to other realities, timelines or parallel worlds, this one's our first."

I simply nodded and, again, said nothing. The man continued, "I know this is awkward, but I just have to say it. My name is Minato Namikaze, this is my wife, Kushina Uzumaki, and our son, Naruto."

I just stayed silent at that, did nothing. As 'Minato' said, this is awkward. If what they are saying is true, and I could not feel anything that would indicate a lie coming from them, then I had just met myself from another reality, another world. I didn't know if there are rules against that or something, but from what I know, messing with the time-space continuum can have serious repercussions in the realities, especially if someone met his or her other self. My teacher in the Sealing Arts, Jiraiya, said that while it is wholly possible, it is almost next to impossible on how to ascertain the destination.

* * *

**IV.**

* * *

Three years had passed as I joined my parents' other world's selves and my own. The other Naruto, who, according to his parents, had a very slowed growth rate, very much like his father who did not know how or why. On his first few months, he had grown rather rapidly, then on his eighth month, a month after I had joined them, he was already the size of a two year old with the mind of a five year old. Now, after three years, almost nothing had changed with the child, only gaining a few millimeters in height and his mind stayed in its childlike state, though still advanced for a three year old.

'Minato' and 'Kushina' had explained to him the nature of their powers. Where they came from, there are those called mutants who had been born with powers like theirs. 'Minato' had the body and mind of a highly trained soldier or athlete, without the aid of his magic, Minato's mother had told him that his body was like that because of who his father was. He had also trained himself in magic, a brand different from the one I used, something he was planning to teach his son when he reached the age of seven, like I did. 'Kushina', meanwhile, had come from a clan of powerful telekinetics and telepaths blessed by an entity they called the 'Phoenix'. While the other Naruto had not manifested any such abilities like his parents had.

I, on the other hand, explained to them the history of the world we were in. While their situation was similar to my own, the human race continued to thrive in their world, all the while opposing the threat the mutants showed, and in an alternate future, the mutants were either wiped out, hunted or put into slavery. I had taught 'Minato' some of the Sealing Arts and he managed to incorporate it into his knowledge and application of magic.

As I had promised to the sages, I put off my venture to find the outer path and completed the seventh and final step of the Sage Arts some months ago. As the sages had said, I had been able to commune with the spirits of the dead who had convinced me to stay with my three companions, to whom I said I would only stay until they got the workaround the place. And today, I and my younger self celebrated the day of our births, something I didn't know I'd ever do after my mentors died. My twenty first and his fourth. Today, unknowingly, is also the day that my younger self would be manifesting any powers at all, which would cause our celebrations to extend to the next day.

We were in a jungle southwest of the Land of Wind, living in a small hut I built with the more advanced facets of my magic - wood magic. Over the years, I had progressed my training with the elements beside my training in the Sage Arts. I had already perfected my control on the five basic elements - fire, wind, lightning, earth and water - even before our village was destroyed, at the age of twelve. It was slow going as all I had to learn from are scrolls that had a minimal amount of information on the elements beyond the basic five.

"Hey! Hey! Big brother, what do you want for your birthday?" my other self asked. Ever since I had joined them, he had taken to calling me that, not that I disapproved or approved of it. It was very strange hearing yourself calling you 'Big Brother'. Even stranger was calling someone else with your name, other than yourself.

"Just that we stay safe, nothing more." I replied to which the younger me frowned at.

"I already know that, but I want to give you something materially!"

"I don't need anything."

"You can't not want anything, that's insane!"

I fell silent at that and looked away. I could not bare to look at the expression on his face, one that I'd wanted to have in a very long time, one of happiness. All I had ever wanted was to end the strife between the races, but I had not the ability, nor the power to do so. Now, it is already impossible, I'm the only one left to make peace with. I could not count the dimension travelers, they had been trying to make a seal variation to open a portal between this world and theirs, and I've been helping them ever since.

"If you don't want anything, I'll just go get you something anyways." my young counterpart said, going towards the way down. I had already given him one gift earlier this morning, before he woke, a three-pronged knife fashioned from the same knife my father used and marked it with the same seal he did. I had originally intended to give him one since his first birthday which earned me a scolding from both his parents.

I sat down on the floor of the cottage to start utilizing the Sage Arts in order to make sure the child's safety as both his parents had gone out after our lunch to scout the borders of the forest to south and west. We had to get as far away from the empire, that much was known. I was just starting to gather and meld my life force with the mana of nature when I felt them, six beasts rampaging towards our general direction, from the speed and acceleration they'd been going, they'd reach the child within half a minute. I gave up on gathering mana, it would take too long. I stood and jumped out of the window to my left and landed on the ground hard.

I thought of the choices of spells or abilities I would employ to stop the rampaging beasts or divert their path. I could not just take him back to the cot, as the beasts would destroy the trunk of the tree our little hut was latched onto. I had not developed my abilities with the path of the god so that's out of the choices, it would be too dangerous, I could seriously harm the child behind me and destroy the forest in the process. Earth spells are also out, as beasts often have very tough hides and hard claws, tusks, beaks or whatever offensive mechanism they had. The path of the beast is also out of the question, those that I could stop the beasts would be too big for the clearing and those that were small in size and capable to subjugate the beasts would not take too kindly to be summoned just to do such menial tasks.

Instead, I employed the use of the path of the demon, no matter how much I hate it. I formed a blaster on my left arm and a steel whip on my right. Five more seconds and the beasts appeared, going in at the same speed my energy blasts were. I lashed out my whip immediately after I fired the energy blasts and changed the blaster to a missile launcher. Three of the boar-like creatures were knocked to the side and I six three missiles at each one, the missile heads opened to reveal electrified steel nets that managed to keep the knocked beasts down. Those that were not, however, charged on towards me and I used my whip again to lash out at them. I caught one and threw it towards the other two, knocking two of them, and fire three more missiles that revealed nets as they neared the targets.

One continued to charge at me, tearing through the net just like the previous one. I had been too focused at the charging beast that I didn't hear a scream tear out behind me. I blinked, one second, the boar like beast was just in arms' reach the next, it was sent hurtling towards the branches. I fired a missile after it and this time, it stayed down with a net over it as it fell to the ground. My arms turned back to normal as my eyes shifted from rippled purple to their normal cerulean. I turned to see my younger self gaping at me, his eyes starting to shimmer and tears threatening to spill.

"You okay?" I asked, kneeling down to be at his level. He nodded fervently, and hugged me tightly around the neck while I hugged him back, "I'm glad. Let's go back up, you can go back later. Okay?"

He nodded faintly, and I stood, carrying him with me as he wrapped his feet around my torso. I created a shadow clone to take care of the downed beasts while I jumped up the trees and entered our hut through the window I exited. When I did, I felt the child's leveled and rhythmic breathing, indicating he'd fallen asleep. I laid him down on the small lump of cotton designated to be his bed.

* * *

**V.**

* * *

Seven years had passed since Naruto's first display of any superhuman abilities and I had conceded to let him use the name while I took on a different one: Arashi. We all agreed to have me adopted in their small family and since then, I had taken to calling my parent's counterparts as mom and dad. It had been five years that I first took note that the three of us, adults had never aged. If I was actually honest with myself, I'd have said I did not grow a day since I was sixteen, Tsunade had told me that on my eighteenth birthday but I brushed it off.

Six years had passed since mom had manifested her ability to 'communicate' and control plants. We had fled south after the incident on Naruto's fourth birthday, and crossed the border towards the Kingdom of Celes. Celes was an enemy of Limbo, but shared their hatred of humans. We continued to travel from place to place and stayed in another jungle after our entrance to Celes. On the jungle, mom had first displayed her newfound abilities through trying to telepathically order the trees to part before her and make a path. She merely brushed this off as an extension of her telekinesis, even when I suggested other wise. It was later proved that she did have Chlorokinesis when she had forcefully grown a cherry tree because she missed home.

Five years had passed since we had taught him stealth, and while he had protested about it incessantly but conceded after we had argued our points about him being unable to do things the way we did, being unable to fight and opponent head on, being unable to force anyone down if he so wished. He had actually been good at it, much like I had been, but there were times that he'd done things quite spectacularly dumb. Like when he'd basically alerted me of his position when he tried to use a large amount of energy to throw me off my feet, or when he'd used his telekinesis to try and sense where I was. Generally, however, he had a good affinity for it, quick and quiet on his on his toes, silent but deadly when on the hunt.

Four years had passed since we first taught Naruto any magic. He had been very excited about it but immediately deflated once he found out he'd only be learning magical theory for the first two years and would only begin studying spells and runes on his third, and seals on his seventh. When he'd managed to make his first spell on one try, he'd gone off the handle and was immediately on his way to becoming a motor mouth like mom. Much like father was, he seemed to be a prodigy in the mystical arts. Just like me, he didn't give up when he struggled to learn the correct pronunciation for an incantation or the correct amount of energy and flow for a certain spell.

Three years had passed since dad had shown an ability similar to my path of the demon, except instead of assimilation of technology, he had been able to control them from afar and make more advanced versions of them. He didn't know what to do at first, since he had no way to train and control this new ability as he would have to make his way towards the city, and some demons would be able to know a human despite disguises put on by illusions or transformations. While the technology present in this world was nowhere near as advanced as the ones from their world, dad had been able to use his ability, no problems. He called it technopathy, technokinesis, or cyberkinesis, he often interchanged his use of them.

Two years had passed since Naruto manifested another superhuman ability beyond his physical and magical ones, telepathy. Mom had explained to him the rudimentary rules and laws she had been taught from her home world, and that is to never use his telepathy to invade the thoughts of others except when the situation requires him to. She'd told him of some situations that would exempt him from the ethical and moral dilemmas that comes with being a telepath: like when a threat had been unable to be put down through other means, then he would have to turn to psychically knocking them unconscious; or when there are several claims that are going against each other, he'd have to go through every person's mental processes to discern the truth and such.

A year had passed since I had found the last and final path of the samsara, and I'd constantly been in touch with my dead friends and loved ones without having to reach into the mana of the world. From the crystal that had guided me in finding the paths of the samsara had stated that I'd be able to pull someone's soul from beyond the veil and make them live again at the cost of the life of another. It was something that I'd been reprimanded on for even thinking such, from both my parents beyond the veil and the ones before it. A year had also passed I'd created four magical spheres that were bound by my will, changing its size, shape, texture and color accordingly, and passed them on to mom, dad, and Naruto, one for each of us. I bound each to their will and they'd been ecstatic about it.

I had managed to contact a total of six more summoning planes beside the great sages': the Desert of White Flames, the plane phoenixes lived in; the Crystal Mountain Tundra, the plane of the ice wolves; the Isle Cliffs of an endless ocean, the plane of dragons; the Underground Obsidian Palace, the plane of earthen tortoises; the Jungles of the Wildlands, the plane of the sky apes; and the Floating Skylands, the plane of the lightning tigers. I had originally made contact with four of the six before I met my dimension travelling adoptive family but put off making deal until after I'd told the sages about them, then I had contacted with two others during my further training with the path of the beast.

At the urging of the sages, I'd separated my excessive and growing power to nine containers and inadvertedly created living and growing beings with souls in them. They were in the form of beasts, but unlike beasts, these were capable of intelligent thought, at least that's what the sages had foretold. I'd left them in the care of my first three contacted summons, the toads, slugs and serpents, but not before I'd given the names: Shukaku, the one-tailed Raccoon; Matatabi, the two-tailed cat; Isobu, the three-tailed turtle; Son Goku, the four-tailed ape; Kokuo, the five-tailed dolphin-horse; Saiken, the six-tailed slug; Chomei, the seven-tailed rhinoceros beetle; Gyuki, the eight-tailed octopus-ox; and Kurama, the nine-tailed fox. The sages had said that the tailed beasts were an extension of my power given the form of beasts and that their mine to call upon should I require aid or any other tasks, much like the summons.

While I was still on my way towards mastering the intermediate level elemental spells, I had already mastered the Sealing Arts, and as such, had managed to create a seal that would open dimensions. I had actually agreed to come with them, instead of staying here after a lot of discussions with my dead friends and my living family. The only problem now would be how to make the other side to be precisely the same world they came from. We are now heading towards the place that had been where they'd appeared in, hoping that it's not anywhere near new settlements and that it would actually give useful answers. My first hope was crushed but we did find some answers.

Dad had suggested he built something that would stabilize the portal that would be opened by the seal while we scan for the correct reality in the time-space continuum. We'd live on the outskirts of the town keeping off the demons while dad built the portal stabilizer and I gathered the equipment he'd need for it. It took quite some time but did manage to pull through within eight months and we were good to go. I'd be giving the seal the needed power to open the portal while mom and Naruto kept anyone off the place and dad would channel the needed electricity from the town's supply to the machine. Surprisingly enough, we found the right dimension, in the location that was Naruto's birthplace, and within a day of their departure.

* * *

**VI.**

* * *

"Minato! Kushina!" were the first things I heard since I stepped through the portal. I had closed the portal immediately as I stepped in, but not before I had activated the timed bombs on the machine. As I was the last to step through the dimension rip, I haven't expected to be forced into a hug by a white-haired woman with dark skin. She opened her blue eyes and looked at both me and Naruto then back at mom and dad, "How long have you been in there? You've already had two sons while it was only yesterday we had you in the delivery room…"

"It's a long story." dad said as both he and mom chuckled nervously.

"Don't worry, we've got our own stories, and while the situation here maybe bad, I'm currently all ears for you. We'd all like to know what you guys had been through." the woman said, leading us towards a large hall with some kind of big screen at the back and cushioned chairs before it.

* * *

**End Prologue**


End file.
